Posted: 8/3/15 at 1:31pm
I saw the Language Archive in a black box and when they would discuss the smell of the bread some sort of machine would waft the smell of warm bread over the audience. It was a very powerful effect. I could see them doing something like that for this but with pie smell.
Posted: 8/3/15 at 1:44pm
I know the potential Broadway transfer has been discussed before, as has the fact that ART auctioned off Broadway opening night tickets at its gala event this spring. That would be a pretty bold move for something not set.
Spring Awakening at the Brooks Atkinson has its very firm closing date of January 9 - perhaps Waitress will be moving in? Seems like the right size house for it. Or did I miss a discussion about something else going in there.
Thanks for the early reports, I look forward to seeing it Thursday. Thanks also to those who answered my stage door question.
Posted: 8/3/15 at 4:24pm
"I saw the Language Archive in a black box and when they would discuss the smell of the bread some sort of machine would waft the smell of warm bread over the audience. It was a very powerful effect. I could see them doing something like that for this but with pie smell."
I was thinking about this idea, too. I really hope they make it happen.
Posted: 8/3/15 at 5:39pm
Waitress is going into a Shubert house so the Brooks Atkinson is out of the question. It will either go into the Schoenfeld or Belasco
Posted: 8/3/15 at 7:30pm
Will I like this show if I don't like pies?
Posted: 8/3/15 at 9:44pm
Really wanting to see this. Is it even doable to go up there for a matinee and back down to NYC in one day? Is it easy to take a bus to or can anyone expound on that?
Posted: 8/3/15 at 9:58pm
"Really wanting to see this. Is it even doable to go up there for a matinee and back down to NYC in one day? Is it easy to take a bus to or can anyone expound on that? "
It is doable if you are okay with leaving early in the morning and getting back late at night. Bus or train will both take around 4.5-5 hours, but with a bus you risk sitting in traffic. A train will cost a few extra $$ but will all but guarantee a timely arrival (barring significant delays, which amtrak is usually pretty good about) and a MUCH more comfortable ride.
Posted: 8/3/15 at 10:03pm
The buses and trains all go to South Station, which is where you can catch the Red Line to the Harvard stop. Check the schedules and see what works for you. My guess is that getting there in time is doable, but the return might be a little tight.
Posted: 8/3/15 at 10:41pm
A friend and I have taken the bus there and back for a Sunday matinee many a time. It's a pretty easy trip; the most difficult part for us was learning how to navigate around South Station, but by now it's like second nature. You need to leave early enough in the morning (around 6am) and you won't get home until 10pm or so, which kills any hope of a restful day, but it's cheap and has made for some funny travel stories.
Posted: 8/3/15 at 11:09pm
I certainly do NY From Boston for a two show day often. Very easily done. And the train is much more expensive, in my experience.
The walk from the Harvard T-stop to the theater is about 5 minutes.
Posted: 8/4/15 at 3:39am
Is Lulu's Pie Song the song from the movie for those who have seen it? I've been hoping they used that song in the musical if possible because I relate it so closely to this story. "Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie, gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle"
Posted: 8/4/15 at 4:22am
it was confusing a dog married a cat really confused me
Posted: 8/4/15 at 9:22am
"Really wanting to see this. Is it even doable to go up there for a matinee and back down to NYC in one day? Is it easy to take a bus to or can anyone expound on that? "
Definitely doable. My friend came up from Long Island last summer to see Finding Neverland with me (I'm 50 miles south of Boston) and she took a 6 am Megabus and made it in plenty of time (on a Saturday but I've made it from Providence in good time on weekdays as well) and she arrived around 10:15 and I met up with her at South Station and we had plenty of time to walk around and sit down for lunch before the show. And then I believe she took a 7:00 bus back to New York - so it was a long day, but very doable.
I'm seeing Waitress on the 19th so I'm definitely interested in reading this thread. I've been a fan of Sara Bareilles for years and I love her style of music (and she is one heck of a performer, too - I saw her in Boston last summer and she was incredible and performed "She Used to Be Mine" as well) so I expect a mostly piano-driven PPP score. I'll be in Boston two other times in the next few weeks for medical appointments and so maybe I can catch it before the 19th if I'm lucky.
Posted: 8/4/15 at 9:51am
Hoping to hear more reviews from Sunday and tonight.
Looking forward to seeing it on Wednesday and also the last Saturday night of the run at ART.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 3:38am
I see a resemblance!
Posted: 8/5/15 at 9:18am
Got to see this last night...
I'm a big fan of Sara and was really excited to see what she was able to create.
Maybe I built it up too much, but overall it was incredibly boring. As other users mentioned, all of the songs sound exactly the same. And yes, Jessie is great, but an amazing lead does not save an awful musical. For me, I want to leave a theater with songs stuck in my head. Not the case at Waitress, I can't recall a single song.
In my opinion, the book also needs considerable work. There were too many jokes that just fell flat and not enough character build-up. The entire second act felt very rushed, like they were running out of time to get to an ending.
I know it's just the beginning and they have time to work on it, but this is not Broadway ready. No competition for Hamilton at all...
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 09:18 AM
Posted: 8/5/15 at 9:40am
Well, it's not suppose to be Broadway ready. Yet.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 9:58am
I'm seeing this tomorrow night and I'm tempering my expectations because I know it's early. I am such a big Sara Bareilles fan though that I am sure I'll enjoy it no matter what. Should be interesting and fun!
Posted: 8/5/15 at 10:24am
Sting said it best - the landscape is "littered with bleached corpses" of failed attempts by pop artists to compose for the theatre. It's unfortunate, as the bar of expectations is so much higher for the likes of Sara, Sting and Bono. But these early reports from Cambridge do not bode well for this show.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 11:15am
ITS STILL IN PREVIEWS!!!!!
Everyone stop acting like it's a finished product. I'm sure that they'll fix the book and maybe even spice up the score before it moves to broadway. It's ok to say that there are issues, but to say that it's an unsavable musical is another thing. There are lots of examples of musicals that flopped out of town, but were hits on broadway because the creative team utilized their preview time to make the show better. I doubt they'll just let the show sink.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 11:29am
"ITS STILL IN PREVIEWS!!!!!
Everyone stop acting like it's a finished product. I'm sure that they'll fix the book and maybe even spice up the score before it moves to broadway. It's ok to say that there are issues, but to say that it's an unsavable musical is another thing. There are lots of examples of musicals that flopped out of town, but were hits on broadway because the creative team utilized their preview time to make the show better. I doubt they'll just let the show sink."
^^This. I was there last night and it is far from unsaveable. I very much enjoyed the show. It was too long and needs fine tuning (especially technically), but it has a lot of potential and I very much enjoyed Sara's score. It was very her and very much as expected, but that's one reason I went was because I love her music and sound.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 1:15pm
Did anyone stage door last night??
wondering if Sara came out or if you saw her in the audience ?
thanks
Posted: 8/5/15 at 1:20pm
I was there last night. I enjoyed it and will post my thoughts later.
Quick answer to the stage door question. Keala Settle and Jeanna De Waal were the only leads to come out.
Jessie and Sara did not come out.
I went with some patrons of ART and they said they were told by a staff member that Diane Paulus was not in attendance.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 3:42pm
To reiterate everyone came out quickly the first night except the guy who played Earl, but Diane came out like 1+ hours later.
Posted: 8/5/15 at 4:06pm
"Really wanting to see this. Is it even doable to go up there for a matinee and back down to NYC in one day? Is it easy to take a bus to or can anyone expound on that? "
As others have said, it's definitely a doable trip. I travel Boston to NY frequently for a matinee--sometimes a two-show day. While most buses will take you to South Station in Boston, there's also a bus line called gobuses.com which leaves 31st betw. 8 and 9Av at 8am, arriving at Alewife Station in Cambridge at 1245pm. From Alewife to Harvard is a shorter distance on the subway to make your 2pm matinee. Returning there's a 530pm leaving Alewife, arriving at 31st around 1015.
Updated On: 8/5/15 at 04:06 PM
